Mar 29 HOW TO GET IN THE MOOD ;) BY CAROLINE STUDEBAKER

… for creative thinking! We’ve all experienced a time where no matter how hard you concentrate or how much you wish it would happen, your creative mind just wouldn’t turn on. A time where every idea you came up with feels unoriginal, boring or not even worthy of writing down.

It can be frustrating and discouraging and that’s OK! Creativity doesn’t happen on command. You cannot tell your brain, “Alright, ready… set… BE BRILLIANT!”

Creativity cannot be forced. It must to be sparked, nourished and coached in order to produce something great and exciting.

Instead of staring at a blank notepad or the blinking cursor on your Word document, take a break! Go for a walk, grab food with friends or watch a few YouTube videos (there’s some good stuff on the InterWeb these days.) Get yourself in the mood to think creatively by doing something out of the ordinary and unrelated to the project.

Whatever your escape may be, embrace it. Come back to your work at a later time with a fresh mind and a new perspective.

Pro Tip: Starting projects and brainstorming sessions earlier is a good way to allow extra time for these breaks and distractions.

Don’t let yourself sit there spinning in circles, get yourself in the mood! Find what makes your brilliant mind spark and pick up where you left off later.